Features Overview

Features Overview

Every feature below is stated with the source module that implements it and, where relevant, with the measured caveat that comes with it. This page is the honest matrix: what the program does, what it deliberately does not do, and where the published builds diverge from their own documentation.

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Contents

• Core tray mechanics
• Guard and modes
• Interface
• Safety and operations
• Distribution and platform
• Deliberate non-features
• Measured divergences in published builds
• See also

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Core tray mechanics

Feature	Implementation	Notes
Per-icon promotion via IsPromoted	src/core/trayicons.cpp	the same store the Windows Settings toggles use
Friendly names from FileDescription, EN(0409) then RU(0419) then file name	trayicons.cpp:40-68	cached per executable
Extracted icons for the list	SHGetFileInfoW + HICON cache	freed at shutdown
Wildcard exclusions (name and full path)	store::IsExcluded	onedrive.exe, *teams*
Per-icon user-hidden intent	settings.icons.userHidden	applies in custom mode
Drag-reorder of the list	icons.cpp + settings.icons.order	persisted per machine
Legacy belt EnableAutoTray=0	legacy.cpp	optional, default on
HideSCA* cleanup at the correct Policies path	legacy.cpp	counts and removes =1 values
TrayNotify cache reset (phantom icons)	legacy.cpp	explicit repair only
Guarded Explorer restart	explorer.cpp	kill → ≤8 s → manual start → ≤4 s

Guard and modes

Feature	Implementation	Notes
Registry watcher (RegNotifyChangeKeyValue, subtree, NAME+LAST_SET)	guard.cpp	armed and re-armed per pass
Debounce (50–5000 ms, default 400)	guard.cpp + settings clamp	UI segment 200/400/800/1500
Polling fallback (Off/2/5/15 s)	guard.cpp	the path that reconciles in published builds — see caveat
Visibility modes full/custom/compact	guard.cpp, tray radios, --mode	compact keeps only the app's own icon
Auto Explorer restart with cooldown (≥10 s, default 60) and 2-pass flap protection	guard.cpp	opt-in
Pause/resume (UI, tray, IPC --toggle-guard)	guard.cpp	amber tray dot while paused
Session statistics (passes, promotions, last fix, uptime)	guard::Stats	Guard page card
Balloons on promotions	trayicon.cpp	toggleable

Warning

Measured caveat: in the published 8.3.0/8.4.0 source the armed registry event is not part of the worker's wait set, so with the default pollMs: 0 no pass runs until a poll timer or stop signal wakes the loop. Event-driven re-promotion therefore requires either a non-zero polling interval or the patched build in this wiki's fix bundle (The Guard Watcher).

Interface

Feature	Implementation	Notes
Seven pages: Dashboard, Tray icons, Guard, Appearance, Backups, Activity, About	src/ui/pages/*	lazy-built, last page restored
Custom-drawn Fluent kit (buttons, toggles, segments, search, overlay scrollbars)	ui/kit/	retained-mode widgets, 16 ms animation timer only while moving
Light/Dark/System themes, live Windows follow	ui/theme.cpp	WM_SETTINGCHANGE(ImmersiveColorSet)
Eight accent presets or Windows colorization	theme.cpp:154-164	hex list in Localization and Themes
30 locales, per-string EN fallback, live switch	ui/lang/	ru complete; tiers documented
Per-Monitor-V2 DPI, dark title bar, rounded corners (Win 11)	mainwindow.cpp:479-486	DWM attributes
Responsive nav rail (244 px → 64 px below 860 px window width)	mainwindow.cpp	min window 720×520
Keyboard map (Ctrl+1…7, Ctrl+F, F5, Tab/Esc, Shift+close)	mainwindow.cpp:598-650	focus rings on all focusable widgets
Tray icon with state dot, double-click opens, TaskbarCreated re-add	trayicon.cpp	legacy callback version on purpose (Win11 RMB fix)
Close-to-tray with one-time hint balloon	mainwindow.cpp:854-866	Shift bypasses
--ui-test [page] self-screenshot QA mode	mainwindow.cpp:666-680	produced this wiki's Wine screenshots

Tray menu, exactly as built in code: Show · Full / Custom / Compact radios · Promote all now · Pause/Resume guard · Author's website · Exit. (The repository's user guide additionally lists Restart Explorer, which the code does not add to this menu — recorded in Changelog and Versioning.)

Safety and operations

Feature	Implementation	Notes
Schema-8 JSON snapshots, auto-backup before bulk changes, 30 kept	backup.cpp	restore/export/delete with confirmations
14-day rotating logs + 500-entry in-memory ring	log.cpp	Activity page, export to file
Atomic settings/snapshot writes	fs.cpp	tmp + replace
Copy diagnostics (OS, theme, language, paths, last 25 log lines)	about.cpp	clipboard, for bug reports
CLI: 18 verbs, exit codes 0/1/2/3, JSON mode	cli.cpp	Command-Line Interface
Single instance + IPC (show, toggle-guard, exit)	app.cpp, cli.cpp	mutex + WM_COPYDATA
Embedded installer wizard / portable / --uninstall	installer.cpp, setupwizard.cpp	Apps & Features entry; per-user only
Self-updater: HTTPS feed, SHA-256 pin, rename-chain apply, relaunch	update.cpp	opt-in checks; confirm before apply (GUI)

Distribution and platform

Fact	Measured value
Executable	single statically linked PE32+; 1,052,672 B (HEAD build), 1,076,224 B (release 8.4.0)
Imported DLLs	16, all Windows system libraries (advapi32, bcrypt, comctl32, comdlg32, dwmapi, gdi32, gdiplus, kernel32, msvcrt, ole32, oleaut32, shell32, shlwapi, user32, version, winhttp)
Compilers	mingw-w64 cross (CI gate: zero warnings) and MSVC 2022 (CI job)
Store kit	MSIX manifest + 37 assets + packing script (store/), Desktop Bridge fullTrust
Licensing	PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0

Deliberate non-features

• No UAC prompts, no machine-wide or Group-Policy mode — per-icon promotion has no GPO; the 6.x “AllUsers” mode was removed as fiction.
• No telemetry, crash reporting, or analytics of any kind; network only for explicit update checks.
• No shell hooking, no taskbar replacement, no Explorer patches — plain registry reconciliation through documented shell state.
• No Mica/acrylic backdrops: solid Fluent palettes by design decision (stability over effect).
• No RTL layout mirroring yet: RTL locales are translated but render LTR (tracked).

Measured divergences in published builds

Divergence	Where
Version strings drift (help 8.1.0, status/JSON/diagnostics 8.0.0, source 8.3.0, feed/release 8.4.0)	Changelog and Versioning
PE resource copyright says MIT while the license is PolyForm Noncommercial	same
Feed notes advertise all-users scope and About buttons absent from source and binary	same
Docs list a tray-menu item the menu does not contain; EN/RU-only language prose predates 30 locales	same
Invalid CLI arguments and two unsupported-store paths exit silently	Command-Line Interface

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See also

• Comparison with Alternatives — how this feature set compares in October 2026
• The Guard Watcher — the watcher in depth, including its defect
• GUI Pages Guide — where each feature lives in the UI
• Security and Privacy — the trust model behind the safety features